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Iraq

Kuwait to Hold Parliamentary Elections on April 4

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 07:35
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait said Saturday it will hold elections for its national assembly on April 4, its latest round of voting after years of political turmoil. The state-run KUNA news agency made the announcement, citing a decree published by the oil-rich country's official gazette. In February, Kuwait's emir dissolved parliament after a lawmaker reportedly insulted the ruler. Domestic political disputes have been gripping Kuwait for years — including the overhaul...
Categories: Iraq

Thousands Join Israeli Hostages' Families in March on Jerusalem

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 02:35
JERUSALEM — A march by thousands of Israelis demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza reached Jerusalem on Saturday as negotiators prepared to resume cease-fire negotiations in Cairo that would include a swap deal with Hamas.  A column of protesters, led by families of hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas' deadly rampage through southern Israel on October 7, walked up the winding highway to Jerusalem, arriving at the city at sundown.   Holding up Israeli flags,...
Categories: Iraq

Ship Leaks Oil, Fertilizer, Revealing Risks to Red Sea from Houthi Attacks

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 01:51
MIAMI, FLORIDA — A vibrant fishing industry, some of the world's largest coral reefs, desalination plants supplying millions with drinking water. They're all at risk from the fertilizer and oil spilled into the Red Sea by the sinking of a cargo ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels.  Officials said Saturday the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged vessel reportedly carrying 22,000 metric tons of toxic fertilizer, sunk after taking on water in the February 18 attack.  Even before...
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US Airdrops of Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza Explained

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 21:58
WASHINGTON — The United States on Saturday began airdrops of emergency humanitarian assistance into Gaza. President Joe Biden, who announced the operation Friday, said the U.S. was looking into additional ways to help Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled territory as the Israel-Hamas war goes on. Here is a look at what to know: When did the airdrops start? Three C-130 cargo planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 35,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 a.m. EST Saturday. The...
Categories: Iraq

Namibia’s Call for Sanctions Against Israel Draws Mixed Responses

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 20:01
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — Reactions have been mixed on Namibia’s call last month for an international boycott of Israeli goods and companies in response to Israeli policies and practices in the Palestinian territories. If implemented, such a boycott could harm Namibia’s economy, as Israel is a key trading partner with the nation’s diamond mining industry. Diamonds are Namibia’s largest export earner, bringing in at least 10% of the country’s gross domestic product. Trade figures from 2022 show...
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Ship Attacked by Yemen's Houthi Rebels Sinks in Red Sea

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 16:28
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said Saturday. It is the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of the Iran-backed militants’ campaign over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The sinking of the Rubymar comes as shipping through the crucial waterway for cargo and energy shipments moving from Asia and the Middle East to Europe has been affected by the Houthi...
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Israel-Hamas War Brings Back Pain to Argentine Jewish Community

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 11:37
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — On October 7, when Hamas militants attacked numerous targets in Israel, killing hundreds and abducting others, Marina Degtiar felt she had traveled back in time, to July 18, 1994. What happened in Buenos Aires 30 years ago broke her apart. A bomb-laden van exploded inside a Jewish community center where her 21-year-old brother, Cristian, worked. It was the worst such attack in Argentina's history, killing 85 — Degtiar´s brother among them — and injuring...
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Hundreds Join Rare Protests Against Syria's Jihadi Rebels 

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 04:24
Idlib, Syria — Hundreds took to the streets across Syria's rebel-held northwest Friday in rare protests against its jihadi rulers, as anger simmered a week after a man died in their custody. About half of Idlib province and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia are controlled by former al-Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The rebel-controlled region hosts about 3 million people, many of whom fled other parts of the country held or recaptured by the Russian- and Iranian-backed...
Categories: Iraq

Where Is China in the Red Sea Crisis?

Voice of America - Sat, 03/02/2024 - 00:11
PENTAGON — As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., has been working to secure the important waterway. About 15 commercial ships have been damaged by Houthi drones or missiles since mid-November, and the U.S. says there are now between four and eight coalition ships in the Red Sea on any given day to help protect international vessels. Last week the...
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Iranian Singer Awarded Grammy for Amini Protest Song, Sentenced to Prison

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 23:26
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian singer who won a Grammy presented by U.S. first lady Jill Biden has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for his anthem supporting the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Shervin Hajipour posted on Instagram on Friday, the same day that Iran held its parliamentary election, what appeared to be part of the judgment against him. It said Hajipour received a three-year, eight-month sentence on charges of "propaganda against...
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US Says Airstrikes, Naval Convoys Help Thousands of Ships Transit Red Sea

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 22:01
Washington — Attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden may have put a dent in global trade. But U.S. officials argue a combination of airstrikes and naval convoys are allowing thousands of ships to still make the journey unscathed. Over the past three months, an estimated 4,677 cargo ships have transited the Red Sea, the U.S. Defense Department told VOA. Of those, 423 vessels passed through under the protection of...
Categories: Iraq

Israeli-Palestinian Group Sees Reconciliation as Way Forward

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 16:45
As negotiators discuss a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, the Parents Circle Family Forum, a nonprofit organization made of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in previous conflicts, sees reconciliation as the only way forward once hostilities cease. Keith Lane has more.
Categories: Iraq

Iran Begins Voting in First Parliament Election Since 2022

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:19
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran began voting Friday in its first parliamentary elections since the mass 2022 protests over its mandatory hijab laws after the death of Mahsa Amini, with questions looming over just how many people will turn out for the poll. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 84, cast one of the first votes in an election that also will see new members elected to the country's Assembly of Experts. The panel of clerics, who serve an eight-year term, is...
Categories: Iraq

Hardliners Set to Tighten Grip in Iran Vote as Frustration Mounts

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 07:16
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iran elects a new parliament on Friday in a vote that will test the popularity of the country's hardline clerical rulers, with mounting public dissent over economic woes and restrictions on political and social freedoms set to keep many Iranians at home.  With heavyweight moderates and conservatives staying out of the race and reformists calling it an "unfree and unfair election," the vote will pit hardliners and low-key conservatives against one...
Categories: Iraq

Who Is Syrian Christian Militia Targeted in Turkish Drone Attacks? 

Voice of America - Fri, 03/01/2024 - 00:47
washington — Local officials in northeastern Syria said a series of Turkish drone strikes on Wednesday killed and wounded several people in a Kurdish-controlled town near the border with Turkey. Unlike other attacks carried out by Turkey in recent months, those targeted  Wednesday were not Syrian Kurdish fighters. According to local sources, three members of a local Christian militia were killed and two others were wounded in several Turkish drone strikes on the town of Derik in...
Categories: Iraq